Ramla Redoubt (), also known as Vendôme Redoubt (), was a

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a Fortification, fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on Earthworks (engineering), earthworks, although some are constructed of ston ...

Ramla Bay Ramla Bay (, "red sands") is a bay with a beach of reddish-coloured sand in Gozo, in the Maltese Islands. It lies on the north-east coast of the island, between the bays of Marsalforn and San Blas. The closest village is Xagħra. Planning per ...

, within the limits of

Xagħra Xagħra () is an administrative unit of Malta on the island of Gozo. It is one of the earliest inhabited parts of Gozo, being home to the Ġgantija megalithic temples, which date back to 3600 BC, and the Xagħra Stone Circle. Natural undergroun ...

on the island of

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It was built by the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (religious society), military order. It was founded in the Crusader states, crusader K ...

in 1715–1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands. The redoubt no longer exists, but a small part of its foundations are still visible.

History

Ramla Redoubt was built in 1715–1716 as part of the first building programme of coastal batteries and redoubts in Malta. It was located in the centre of Ramla Bay. The bay included other fortifications, namely Ramla Left Battery and Ramla Right Battery on either side of the bay, and an entrenchment wall linking both batteries with the redoubt. Ramla Bay was further defended by Marsalforn Tower on the plateau above the bay, and an underwater barrier to prevent enemy ships from landing within the bay. The redoubt originally consisted of a pentagonal platform with a low parapet. A rectangular

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

was located at the centre of its gorge. In 1881, a statue of the Madonna was built on the site of the redoubt.

Present day

Today, all that remains of the redoubt is a small section of its pentagonal platform near the base of the 19th century statue. These remains, along with the rest of Ramla Bay, are managed by the Gaia Foundation.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Redoubts in Malta Hospitaller fortifications in Malta Military installations established in 1715 Demolished buildings and structures in Malta Xagħra Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 18th-century fortifications 1715 establishments in Malta 18th Century military history of Malta {{Malta-struct-stub